Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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28. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the National College of Art and Design; if she will provide an update on changes that need to be made within the college; if she has any concerns with the management of the college; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15478/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I would like to assure the Deputy that the matters identified by the Comptroller & Auditor General (C&AG) in their Special Report on Accountability and Governance at the National College of Art and Design (NCAD), which was published in December last year, are of serious concern to my Department and my officials have been working with the Higher Education Authority (HEA) in order to have the concerns dealt with.

The Report outlined ongoing delays in the preparation of financial statements, governance failures with regard to procurement, the absence of annual reviews on the effectiveness of the system of internal financial control by An Bord of the College and the role of the Audit Committee. NCAD is currently working on implementing a number of changes and improvements in its systems and processes in order to address the issues identified. This process is being continually kept under review by the HEA who are keeping my Department informed of developments.